Since I've upgraded my phone, I finally understand the obsession and addiction that comes with a new phone however it can become an all consuming distraction from your work or actually being present in the moment. In order to absorb effectively instead of just endlessly scrolling for no reason, sometimes it's good to step away from your hand held companion and get stuff done. Here are a few ways to leave your phone behind so you can be more productive.

#01 || Be Aware Of Withdrawal Symptoms

Any form of addiction or reliance on a certain item can mean that when you try to break the habit (or at least loosen the loop) it can incur some serious withdrawal feelings and even a panic when your portable baby is not near you. Despite the huge amount of inspiration you can garner from your phone, creating a slower more gradual step into less of a dependent cycle could make it easier and benefit your productivity in the long run.

#02 || Turn On 'Do Not Disturb'

Something I've discovered recently on iPhones is the ability to silence your calls, notifications and alerts, you can lose your focus so easily if your phone keeps buzzing or bleeping every so often. It can also help you to maintain office hours if you use this systematically.

#03 || Hide Your Phone Away From You

Not meant literally but if you take the time to place your phone in a desk draw, across the other side of the room or in another room entirely. It's like imagining you're at work or university and you have to be respectful of phone use so that you're not distracting yourself or others from much wanted productivity. When you finally reunite with your phone you'll feel a little more fulfilled that you've worked hard and your reward is to play with your phone to your heart's content.

#04 || Use Apps To Help

A new app that I found through another blogger is Forest, it allows you to grow a virtual woodland if you leave your phone alone, you can set time limits as to how long you wish to stay away. You can grow different tree types to visually show how long you've resisted temptation because if you do touch your phone the growing tree will break. Although it costs a little bit of money it a fun graphic way to measure your productivity plus can be used as motivation. Another possible free app includes Checky, where it shows you how many times you check your phone which could be scary but helpful in analysing your usage.

#05 || Take The Time To Talk To Someone

Over compensation on your phone could mean that you're not actually present in what is physically happening around you, a life addicted to a screen could mean you're missing out on potential opportunities - talking to someone else can not only drag your eyes away but allow you to bounce ideas and perspectives. Despite being an introverted type of girl who likes her own company, it can make me stir crazy if I don't have that in-person interaction, as I live with my family there is usually someone to say hello to and I really value the silly conversations (of which there are many) just as much as the serious in depth ones. Communication with different people can shape your tone, how you wish to come across or different point of views as online conversations can sometimes get mistaken or taken the wrong way it's important to understand what you're putting out there into the world.

#06 || Have Mealtimes Without Your Phone

A bad but understandable habit to fall into is to have meals with your phone as a trusty companion, especially if you're with a group and everyone is more interested in their screens, there is the compulsion to join in to not feel left out or substituted. You can enjoy your food and pals / family much more when not attached to your internet life line. You could turn it into a drinking game by putting all the phones in the middle and the first one to cave (minus emergencies) has to drink.

#07 || No Phone Just Before bed

Something I'm keen to work on is putting down the technology just before bed, studies have shown that using electronics before the land of nod can greatly affect your quality of sleep. As I've been staying up later just recently to complete blog work (which isn't helpful in itself) the sly niggling feeling that I can handle one more peruse of Instagram and Twitter will creep in but with a final head-on-the-pillow time of 3am this is a proven not to work - my sleep quality is currently at an all time low. In order to help combat this you can not only put sleep mode on your iPhone which can allow you to add an orange tone to your screen which can counteract the naturally blue screens of your technology, blue is a colour that is used to keep you engaged which isn't beneficial at night. You can also ban phones an hour before bed so you build an effective night time routine that allows your brain to start the switch off process.